compassion Archives - Values & Ethics

GROWTH THROUGH FORGIVENESS – RECONCILIATION, NOT REVENGE…

Posted by TTT | Dec 6, 2018 | anger, compassion, fighting, problem solving |

MI-KETZ — All families experience strife at one point or another. There might be a distancing of siblings, a child angry at a parent, or a parent angry at a child. It’s important that we move past this angry distancing toward reconciliation. In this Torah portion Joseph takes revenge on his brothers for throwing him into a pit and selling him into slavery. No wonder. His pain was sufficient to make anyone want to take revenge. When his brothers travel to Egypt to obtain grain for their family in the face of a famine, the brothers have no idea...

CARING FOR ONE ANOTHER…BUILDING AN ETERNAL BOND

Posted by TTT | Nov 29, 2018 | communication, compassion, fighting, problem solving |

VA-YESHEV — Sometimes brothers and sisters act in a caring manner and sometimes they don’t. Sometimes they tell on one another, and sometimes they defend one another. In order for there to be peace in a household, parents must constantly foster a family culture where brothers and sisters care deeply about one another. In this week’s Torah parsha there is tremendous strife between Joseph and his brothers. Jacob, their father, clearly plays favorites and gives Joseph a multi-colored coat to signify his love for Joseph. Joseph fuels the tension created by this favoritism by telling on his brothers. Sometimes...

BEING CONTENT WITH WHAT YOU HAVE…

Posted by TTT | Nov 20, 2018 | blessings, compassion |

VA-YISHLACH — Everyone has his or her own methods for calculating happiness. We all have different criteria that we think are important and often judge our level of comfort based on these things. While it is often easy to list all that we wish we had, sometimes it is harder to take stock of what we already have. Sometimes, we simply need a reminder to be appreciative of our lives and give proper value to what we might take for granted. This week’s Torah portion, Va-Yishlach, contains the story of two brothers, Jacob and Esau. At one point in the story Esau expresses to Jacob that he has enough, and Jacob...

TITHING…

Posted by TTT | Nov 15, 2018 | blessings, compassion, responsibility, sharing |

VA-YETZE — We all have something to give. By giving, we show that we are responsible for those less fortunate in our communities and, more broadly, in the world. We can give financially, starting as small as a child setting aside a small part of his or her allowance. Or we can give by volunteering our time. Especially when we feel things are missing in our own lives, helping others can help us realize how we are blessed in different ways. In this week’s Torah portion, Va-Yetze, Jacob promises to give a tenth of everything he receives. At this point,...

AVOIDING HURTING WORDS…

Posted by TTT | Oct 25, 2018 | anger, attitude, communication, compassion, fighting |

VA-YERA — We use words to express so many different things: from basic things like “I’m hungry” to deeper things like “I love you.” Words have power to do good, but it is easy to forget how much harm we can do with them. We often think that our words cannot be hurtful if the person we are speaking about is not around. But with the prevalence of e-mail, texting, and twitter, seldom do our words end when we first express them. It is safe to assume that any words we say will be heard again. In this week’s...

Category: compassion

GROWTH THROUGH FORGIVENESS – RECONCILIATION, NOT REVENGE…

CARING FOR ONE ANOTHER…BUILDING AN ETERNAL BOND

BEING CONTENT WITH WHAT YOU HAVE…

AVOIDING HURTING WORDS…

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